New York City partners with Logikcull amid loudening calls for tighter security

Amid a state-wide effort to bolster security practices to protect its residents and constituents from data breach and cybercrime, the City of New York has selected Logikcull as its exclusive Legal Intelligence provider to securely automate e-discovery and open records response. The full announcement is available here.

New York, home to the largest municipal legal department in the United States, joins other government organizations -- including, the cities of Chicago, Boston, Baltimore and Portland -- to have embraced Legal Intelligence as they confront aging technology infrastructures in the age of big data and hacking. In Logikcull, they find a secure end-to-end platform that defensibly automates the processing, analysis, review and production of materials responsive to litigation and freedom of information laws.

For New York and others confronting the specter of cybercrime, there is no greater priority than security. The announcement comes as calls from the highest levels have urged agencies to take steps to bolster cybersecurity practices. Earlier this month, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo pressed a state-wide security agenda that, among other initiatives, calls for the creation of a Cyber Security Advisory Board and the tightening of protocols designed to protect data handled by local agencies.

In choosing Logikcull, the city's legal department vetted several competitors and managed services providers, ultimately deciding on a solution that would eliminate the risk involved in entrusting sensitive data to external vendors and outside counsel. Logikcull's closed-loop design, where all channels into and out of the platform are secured by bank-level encryption and access is controlled by strict permissions, is a stark contrast from industry norms where data is typically shared over email, by physical media and via other insecure means.

“As the volume and complexity of information multiplies by the second, city governments are coming under a tremendous amount of pressure to efficiently -- and securely -- manage data related to litigation and freedom of information laws,” Logikcull CEO Andy Wilson said.

“At a time when the stakes are higher than ever, we are honored to work with the City of New York to help it deliver just, timely and affordable outcomes to its many millions of constituents, and, by bringing more efficiency to its open records response, help it shine more light on the city’s inner workings.”